What children in the Philippines can teach us about having fun at work

(how to use Laro ng Lahi to create playful learning activities)

children engaged in laro ng lahi — image: artofblade dot com

Laro ng lahi, also known as traditional Filipino games or indigenous games in the Philippines, are games that have been played by many generations of children in the archipelago. Often, but not always, laro ng lahi are filipino versions of children's game methodologies found all over the world — like rock, paper, scissors (which is one, two, som in Malaysia, jakempoy in the Philippines, janken pon in Japan, or anything else in any other place on the globe), Simon says (declan ruki), and the famously universal lat talilat tali tamplom (which is sung and played in different versions all over South China and SE Asia).

In Malay:

lat talilat tali tamplom
mak minah balik kampong
beranak dalam tong
keluar anak patong
dipotong menjadi sotong

In Hokkien:

lala lila tampong
ah pek bay apom
apom tim lok hai
ah pek jiak kau sai